Proposal
by BeautifulWeddingFlower
Summary: "Oh god," she gasped. "I've really fallen in love with you." She looked up at him in wonder. "I love you, Ryou."


This started off as something deep and became nothing but fluff. I accept blame. I do love this paring though. :)

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Soft moonlight penetrated the entire room from the lone window. It was enough light to wash his white hair a luminescent silvery-grey. His skin looked even paler in the light, the shadows even darker. Téa smiled at the still man beside her and ran her fingers quickly through his hair. He stirred in his sleep, but didn't wake up.

Her mind should have been thinking about how she had the early shift in the morning, and that she desperately needed sleep after the workout he had given her hours previously, (the man was, without a doubt, deviously skilled with his tongue) but she couldn't seem to think about anything but how completely serene her lover looked asleep with the glow of the moon washed over him. It had been years since Bakura was conquered and Atem had gone to the afterlife, but the toll on all of them was hard to bear. Especially Ryou. He was still quiet and kind, but was a great sense of emptiness in his words and actions. Téa had reached out to in an action of friendship and found herself suddenly lost in the broken man's soul.

They were similar, Ryou and herself. Two broken souls that simply existed to exist had somehow found a connection. It started small and eventually grew into what they owned now; not quite a relationship, but enough to mean something. He had never properly asked her out, but she stayed by his side through the nightmares he had and he stayed by her when her dreams of dancing shattered around her.

Ryou shifted and his eyes opened slowly. He sought her out in the dark. "Téa?"

She smiled. "Hi."

His head lifted and his messy hair (partly from sleep, partly from their early sex) drifted over his eyes as he squinted at a clock. "It's past midnight, Téa."

"Yes," she agreed. "It is."

Ryou sat up like her, rubbing his eyes softly. "Any particular reason you're up, love?" A small smile tugged at his lips and he took her hand under the sheets. "What's on your mind, sweetheart?"

She absolutely abhorred pet names, but coming from Ryou, it sounded more like a term of endearment and not possession. A smile spread over her face like butter on toast and she buried her face in his warm chest. "Ryou, I think I love you."

He paused a moment, and then his hands began to trace invisible patterns on her back. "I love you too." He could feel her smile against his chest. "I have for a while, you know."

"Oh really?" she asked playfully. "Since when?" Her eyes were twinkling and teasing.

He seemed to consider it for a moment and then smiled down at her. "Since the first time you said my name. The second it passed your lips, I was yours." He blushed in the dim light and Téa leaned up to press a kiss to it.

"That is incredibly sweet. Just like you." He laughed very quickly; just a breathless chuckle. "What? It's true."

"So I've been told. Repeatedly." His face grew very serious, in that way only Ryou could get. "I haven't had a nightmare in some time."

"I figured that when I didn't wake up screaming," she said. "I just didn't want to mention it."

His face was stony. "Just because I don't wake up screaming doesn't mean I don't have nightmares. I used to wake up in a cold sweat."

Téa knew this. He would cling to her, cradling her like a child against his chest. Not that she minded much. Ryou came with his little quirks like that, and the fact that he had tea before anything in the morning, or how he would kiss her in a way that made her skin sear and her toes curl and-

"Oh god," she gasped. "I've really fallen in love with you." She looked up at him in wonder. "I love you, Ryou."

His face was unreadable, but he reached over to his bedside table and dug in the drawer. A small black box was clutched in his hand when it came out. "You have no idea how long I've wanted to hear you say that without the playful tone in your voice." He set the box on his thigh and clapped twice, bringing the lights on. She grimaced at the light, but his hand was gentle against her chin, drawing her attention to him. "I love you so much. I went out with Yugi last month and he helped me…" Long, nimble fingers opened the box, revealing a small opal ring nestled inside. "You mentioned you hated diamonds, so…"

She threw her arms around his neck and pulled him in close, crashing their lips together. The box was dropped onto the sheets as both of his hands tangled in her hair. When she pulled away, her eyes were full of tears. "Ryou…"

He coughed nervously and picked up the box again. "So, is that a yes?"

"Absolutely. Why wouldn't I say anything else?" she whispered with a smile. He plucked the ring from the satin and slid it smoothly on her finger. Relief flooded his eyes.

"Oh good. I was hoping it would fit."

She held it up and admired it. "It's perfect…" she breathed. She locked eyes with him. "You're perfect."

"I'm only perfect because you make me that way," he replied quietly. His head shook slightly and he smirked. "We sound sappy."

"I'll sound sappy with you any day. I love you," she reminded him. A small smile pulled at the corners of his lips and he closed his eyes. "…Ryou? You're hiding again."

"I am not hiding," he said smoothly. "I am simply waiting for Bakura to come and take this away again."

Téa smiled sadly and cradled his face tenderly. "He's gone, Ry. He's gone and I'm here, and this is real."

"So this isn't a dream? You really said yes when I proposed?"

"Yes," she breathed. "Yes, of course."

He opened his eyes and grinned. "We should spread the good news then!" His hand reached for the phone, but Téa stopped him with a gentle touch.

"Honey? It's after midnight."

His hand dropped. "You're right. In the morning then," he murmured. He clapped twice and the lights went dark once more.

She cuddled against him in the dark, and his bare body fit comfortably against hers. He breathed in deeply, and then his hand found hers in the dark. "I love you Téa."

"I love you too," she whispered. His grip tightened around hers. "I love you so much."

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Review pretty please?


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